Carrier for wafer boxes

ABSTRACT

A carrier for wafer boxes is provided. The carrier includes a carrier main body, a cover device and a shock absorbing device. The carrier main body carries at least one wafer box, and the shock absorbing device is disposed on the carrier main body and includes an oblique shock absorber so as to protect the carrier from a shock.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a carrier for wafer boxes, and more particularly to an anti-shock carrier for wafer boxes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, there are two types of 12-inch front opening wafer boxes. One is the front opening unified pod (FOUP) for the pre-processing of the semiconductor fabrication, and the other is the front opening shipping box (FOSB) for the post processing of the semiconductor fabrication, such as the testing and packaging etc. The front opening unified pod (FOUP) is applied to the indoor transportation during the pre-processing, and the wafers usually suffer less damages. However, the front opening shipping box (FOSB) is applied to the outdoor transportation, and during the outdoor transportation the wafers often suffer some damages.

During the outdoor transportation, the FOSB is usually put on a hand-operated cart. Even though the hand-operated cart is equipped with a shock absorber, the anti-shock effect is poor. Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic view showing an anti-shock caster according to the prior art. The anti-shock caster 10 has the shock absorber 11 and the rolling wheel 12. The axle 13 of the rolling wheel 12 is vertically moved and vibrated along the fillister 14 of the shock absorber 11. According to the anti-shock caster 10, the anti-shock effect is only restricted within the vertical direction (VD), and, inevitably, the horizontal vibration would still cause the wafers' damages during the transportation.

Usually the wafer boxes are packaged in a black or gray vacuum bag for being transferred to the post processing of the semiconductor fabrication. According to such a package fashion, it is not easy to point out when and how the wafers are broken.

Therefore, how to provide the carrier with anti-shock effects in both horizontal and vertical directions and how to monitor the wafer boxes during the transportation have become the major problems waiting to be solved in the industry. In order to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art, a carrier for wafer boxes is provided. In the particular invention, the problems of poor anti-shock effect in horizontal direction and the rough transportation are solved and it is also safe and convenient to stabilize the wafer boxes in a carrier.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a carrier for a wafer box. The carrier includes a carrier main body for carrying at least one wafer box, a cover device disposed on the carrier main body, wherein a first receiving room is formed between the cover device and the carrier main body for placing at least one wafer box therein, and a shock absorbing device disposed on the carrier main body and including an oblique shock absorber so as to protect the carrier from a shock.

Preferably, the cover device includes a first and a second covering components so as to cover at least one wafer box, and the cover device is a transparent cover with a canary yellow color.

Preferably, the wafer box is a front opening shipping box (FOSB), and the first covering component includes a clip portion for clipping the second covering component.

Preferably, a first and a second covering shafts are arranged respectively on the first and the second covering components so as to rotate the first and the second covering components to a first and a second open positions.

Preferably, the second covering component includes a connecting plate connected to the second cover shaft, and the second open position is a horizontal position.

Preferably, the first and the second covering components respectively have a first and a second handles for opening the first and the second covering components.

Preferably, the first covering component has a pneumatic bar for propping the first covering component.

Preferably, the carrier main body has a second receiving room for placing the second covering component therein.

Preferably, the carrier main body has a movable partition for facilitating the wafer boxes being placed into the carrier main body.

Preferably, the carrier main body has a rod for pushing the carrier main body, and the first and the second covering components are anti-electrostatically processed.

Preferably, the shock absorbing device has a rolling wheel, and the oblique shock absorber is arranged between a first positioning shaft and the rolling wheel, and the first positioning shaft is a first rotating axle for the oblique shock absorber.

Preferably, the shock absorbing device has a fixing base and two rotating plates, the two rotating plates are arranged between the fixing base and the rotating wheel, the fixing base has a second positioning shaft, the second positioning axle is a second rotating axle for the rotating plates, and the rolling wheel has a rolling axle connected to the rotating plates.

Preferably, a fastening rod is set between the rotating plates of the shock absorbing device for fastening the rotating plates, and a positioning shaft plate is arranged on the fixing base for fixing the first positioning shaft.

Preferably, the rolling wheel has an extended axle for fastening the oblique shock absorber.

Preferably, the carrier is a hand-operated cart, and the carrier main body further includes a positioning structure for fixing the carrier on a transporting vehicle.

Preferably, the carrier main body has a first and a second strips so as to protect a side of the carrier main body.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a carrier for a wafer box is provided. The carrier includes a carrier main body for carrying at least one wafer box and an oblique shock absorber for protecting the carrier from a shock.

Preferably, a shock absorbing device is disposed on the carrier main body so as to protect the carrier from the shock, and the oblique shock absorber is disposed on the shock absorbing device.

Preferably, the carrier further includes a cover device disposed on the carrier main body, and a receiving room is formed between a cover device and the carrier main body for placing at least one wafer box therein.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following descriptions with reference to the drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an anti-shock caster according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a carrier for wafer boxes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is another schematic view showing a carrier for wafer boxes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a detailed schematic view of a shock absorbing device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a carrier with a positioning structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic view showing a carrier for wafer boxes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The carrier 20 includes the carrier main body 21, the cover device 23 and shock absorbing device 25. The carrier main body 21 carries at least one wafer boxes 22. The cover device 23 is disposed on the carrier main body 21. The receiving room 24 is formed between the cover device 23 and the carrier main body 21 for placing at least one wafer boxes. Moreover, the shock absorbing device 25 has the oblique shock absorber 26, and the oblique shock absorber 26 is applied to protect the carrier 20 from a shock.

Please refer to FIG. 2. The cover device 23 includes the first covering component 30 and the second covering component 31. The cover device 23 is a transparent cover with a canary yellow color so that the wafer boxes 22, 32 can be clearly seen, and the first and the second covering components 30, 31 are anti-electrostatically processed. Moreover, the wafer boxes 22, 23 are the front opening shipping box (FOSB). The first covering component 30 has the clip portion 33, and the first covering component 30 and the second covering component 31 can be clipped together.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is another schematic view showing a carrier for wafer boxes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The first and the second covering shafts 40, 41 are arranged respectively on the first and the second covering components 30, 31, and therefore the first and the second covering components 30, 31 can be rotated to a first and a second open positions, and the second open position is a horizontal position. The second covering component 31 includes a connecting plate 42, and the connecting plate 42 is connected to the second cover shaft 41. Moreover, the first and the second covering components 30, 31 respectively have the first and the second handles 43, 44 for opening the first and the second covering components 30, 31.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 2, the first covering component 30 has the pneumatic bar 36 applied to prop the first covering component 30. The carrier main body 21 further includes the second receiving room 37, four movable partitions 38, the rod 39, and the first and the second strips 45, 46. The second covering component 31 can be placed into the second receiving room 37. The wafer boxes 22, 32 can be easily put into the carrier main body by using the movable partition 38. The rod 39 is applied to push the carrier main body 21. The first and the second strips 45, 46 are mounted on the carrier main body 21 to protect the side of the carrier main body from a collision.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a detailed schematic view of a shock absorbing device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The shock absorbing device 25 has the rolling wheel 50, the oblique shock absorber 26, the fixing base 52 and two rotating plates 53. The fixing base 52 has a second positioning shaft 54, and can be rotated in both counter clockwise and clockwise directions Ti, T2. The oblique shock absorber 26 is arranged between the first positioning shaft 51 and the rolling wheel 50. The first positioning shaft 51 is a first rotating axle for the oblique shock absorber 26. The two rotating plates 53 are arranged between the fixing base 52 and the rolling wheel 50. The second positioning shaft 54 is a second rotating axle for the rotating plates 53. In addition, the rolling wheel 50 has a rolling axle 55 and the extended axle 58. The rolling axle 55 is connected to the rotating plates 53, and the extended axle 58 is applied to fasten the oblique shock absorber 26. Moreover, the fastening rod 56 is set between the rotating plates 53 so that the rotating plates 53 are fastened tightly, the positioning shaft plate 57 is arranged on the fixing base 52 to fix the first positioning shaft 51.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a schematic view showing a carrier with a positioning structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The carrier is a part of hand-operated cart, and the carrier has the positioning structure 60. Via the positioning structure 60, the carrier is fixed on a transporting vehicle for the wafer box transportation.

To sum up, the present invention provides a new carrier with anti-shock effects in both horizontal and vertical direction, and provides a monitoring for the wafer boxes during the transportation. The conventional rough device is replaced. It is safe and convenient to transport the wafer boxes in a carrier according to the present invention so that the present invention can be applied to the industry.

While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures. 

1. A carrier for a wafer box, comprising: a carrier main body for carrying at least one wafer box; a cover device disposed on said carrier main body, wherein first receiving room is formed between said cover device and said carrier main body for placing said at least one wafer box therein; and a shock absorbing device disposed on said carrier main body and comprising an oblique shock absorber so as to protect said carrier from a shock.
 2. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein said cover device comprises a first and a second covering components so as to cover said at least one wafer box, and said cover device is a transparent cover with a canary yellow color.
 3. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said wafer box is a front opening shipping box (FOSB), and said first covering component comprises a clip portion for clipping said second covering component.
 4. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein a first and a second covering shafts are arranged respectively on said first and said second covering components so as to rotate said first and said second covering components to a first and a second open positions.
 5. The carrier according to claim 4, wherein said second covering component comprises a connecting plate connected to said second cover shaft, and said second open position is a horizontal position.
 6. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said first and said second covering components respectively have a first and a second handles for opening said first and said second covering components.
 7. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said first covering component has a pneumatic bar for propping said first covering component.
 8. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said carrier main body has a second receiving room for placing said second covering components therein.
 9. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said carrier main body has a movable partition for facilitating said wafer boxes being placed into said carrier main body.
 10. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein said carrier main body has a rod for pushing said carrier main body, and said first and said second covering components are anti-electrostatically processed.
 11. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein said shock absorbing device has a rolling wheel, and said oblique shock absorber is arranged between a first positioning shaft and said rolling wheel, and said first positioning shaft is a first rotating axle for said oblique shock absorber.
 12. The carrier according to claim 11, wherein said shock-absorbing device has a fixing base and two rotating plates, said two rotating plates are arranged between said fixing base and said rotating wheel, said fixing base has a second positioning shaft, said second positioning axle is a second rotating axle for said rotating plates, and said rolling wheel has a rolling axle connected to said rotating plates.
 13. The carrier according to claim 12, wherein a fastening rod is set between said rotating plates of said shock absorbing device for fastening said rotating plates, and a positioning shaft plate is arranged on said fixing base for fixing said first positioning shaft.
 14. The carrier according to claim 11, wherein said rolling wheel has an extended axle for fastening said oblique shock absorber.
 15. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein said carrier is a hand-operated cart, and said carrier main body further comprises a positioning structure for fixing said carrier on a transporting vehicle.
 16. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein said carrier main body has a first and a second strips so as to protect a side of said carrier main body.
 17. A carrier for a wafer box, comprising: a carrier main body for carrying at least one wafer box; and an oblique shock absorber for protecting said carrier from a shock.
 18. The carrier according to claim 17, wherein a shock absorbing device is disposed on said carrier main body so as to protect said carrier from said shock, and said oblique shock absorber is disposed on said shock absorbing device.
 19. The carrier according to claim 17, wherein said carrier further comprises a cover device disposed on said carrier main body, and a receiving room is formed between a cover device and said carrier main body for placing said at least one wafer box therein. 